The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-06-08

ClvlL.SERvlCE REFORM.

ClvlL-SERviCE REFORM.
One of the Reasons Why the Democratic
Party Is Entitled to the support Of In.
dependent Voters.
President Cleveland's brief address
at the unwilling of the Garfield statue
in Washington fifty and forcibly en-
forced the 'ssad and distressing lesson"
of his predecessors death. While"
he said, american citizenship stands
aghast and affrighted that murder and
assassination should Turk in the midst |
of free people and strike down the
head of their Government, fearless
search and the discovery of the origin
and hiding-place of these hateful and
unnatural things should be followed by
a solemn resolve to purge for ever from
our political methods and from the
operation of our Government the per-
versions and misconceptions which
gave birth to passionate and bloody
thoughts. If from this hour" the
President concluded, "our admiration
for the bravery and nobility of Ameri-
can manhood and our faith in the pos
sibilities and opportunities of American
citizenship be renewed; if our appre-
citation of the blessing Of restored
Union and love for our Government be
strengthened, and if our watchfulness
against the dangers of mad chase
after partisan spoils be quickened, the
dedication of this statue to the people
of the United States will not be in
vain."
The occasion suggests contrast be-
tween the situation as regards the civil
service in 1881 and that in 1887. In
his second annual message to Congress.
December S, 1870, President Grant rec
commended ga reform in the civil SER
vice of the country" which should
'.govern not the tenure, but the man
ner of making all appointments" In
March, 1871, an amendment was
tackled on to an appropriation bill in
the Senate authorizing the President
to prescribe ..such rules and regula-
| tions for the admission of persons into
the civil service of the United States
as will best promote the efficiency
| thereof, and ascertain the fitness of
each candidate in respect to age,
health, character, knowledge and ability
for the branch of the service into which
he seeks to enter;'' and also authoriz-
ing him to employ suitable persons to
conduct these inquiries. A Civil-Ser-
vice Commission was appointed, and
rules were established for the filling
of vacancies by competitive examina-
tons, which were put in force during
the summer of 1872. The new system
speedily demonstrated its advantages
over the old, and in his annual mes
sage, December /, 1873, President
Grant urged its extension, pointing out
that "to have any rules effective, they
must have the acquiescence of Con-
gress as well as of the Executive. y
The Forty-third Congress was Repub-
!ican in each branch, more than two to
one, but the party managers had no
sympathy with the reform, and they
proceeded to starve it to death. Mr..
Blaine, as Speaker. appointed com
mittee on Civil-Service reform, OF
which that unblushing spokesman, Gen.
eral Butler, was the leading spirit, and
under the lead of Blaine and Butler, a
House Republican, by 1876 to 90, re-
fused to make any appropriation for
the support of the Commission in 1874,
and the system soon after expired Of
inanition.
General Grant made no further at.
tempt to push the reform. General
Garfield's first step was a step back.
ward. He chose as his chief adviser
the man who as Speaker had been
chiefly responsible for the smothering
of Civil-Service reform in 1874. With
in three weeks after his Inauguration
he turned his back upon his own pro
LESSONS in favor of reform by an os
tentatious action based solely and al
most avowedly upon the spoils system
A collector in the New York custom
house was removed midway in hi
term, not for the good of the service
since it was acknowledged that he hae
been an efficient and faithful official
but for the purpose of making room
for politician whose personal demand
upon the Presidents chief adviser mus
be paid off at the public expense. Thi
backward step was not retraced, ant
on the morning of July 2. 1881, tn
outlook for reform was most discour
aging.
Perhaps nothing short Of Guiteau'
shot could have impressed the peopl
with "the dangers of mad chas
after partisan spoils.'' Certainly tn
assassination of Garfield marked tn
turning-point in the struggle with tn
spoils system. In the next election Q
Congressman, in the fall of 1882, tn
popular demand for change was mad
so plain that the expiring Con
gress, promptly upon meetin
in December, 1882, took up ant
passed the Pendleton bill, whicl
its author had for two years vainl,,
pushed upon the attention of his co
leagues. In July, 1883, the compel